In an attempt to ease the supply chain issues arising due to lack of spares in India, Air India has commissioned construction of an engineering warehouse to store more than one million spare parts.
The 54,000 ft.2 centralized warehouse will consolidate 16 locations throughout Delhi and Mumbai into a single facility and will house parts for maintenance, checks and repairs of its aircraft and ground support equipment.
In a statement, the airline said the facility will support its growing fleet and boost its operational reliability as a "one-stop solution" for engineering requirements. It also said the facility will strengthen India's expanding aviation ecosystem.
The facility will be located near Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport's Air Cargo Logistics division, with the aim of significantly speeding up turnarounds of the airline’s flights operating out of Delhi. It is also strategically positioned to support maintenance operations for Air India, Air India Express and AIX Connect.
Air India will use the warehouse to store aircraft spares, tools and ground support equipment ranging from hardware to more complex avionics, hydraulics, structural, pneumatic and mechanical components.
"The warehouse will offer us more proximate access to and better control over our aircraft spares, enabling us to meet any engineering requirement promptly —leading to improved punctuality of flights," says Campbell Wilson, CEO of Air India.